2002
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2002 ACE Awards. Established in 2000, ACE has become a valuable public-outreach program for the AKC as well as a source of pride among the fancy and the recipient communities.
A photograph and story of the honoree in each of the five categories - Exemplary Companion, Law Enforcement, Search and Rescue, Service, and Therapy - is posted along with a photograph and information concerning dogs that received honorable mention. The five honorees will receive their engraved silver collar medallions and $1,000 cash awards at a presentation ceremony at the AKC/Eukanuba National Invitational Championship in Orlando, Florida on December 11, 2002. For those recipients who cannot attend the presentation in Florida, presentations will also be made at shows in their area. Bronze collar medallions will be mailed to all dogs that received honorable mention.
Photos of the 2002 ACE Awards Honorees
Click on image for caption and larger view.
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Exemplary Companion Dog - Bullet (Golden Retriever)
Owned by Pam & Troy Sica, of Bellport, New York
Nominated by Rochelle Lesser of Owings Mills, MD
The morning of May 1 began typically for the Sica family. Troy was in the bathroom, showering before work. Pam was in the kitchen warming a baby bottle. And the 15-year-old Bullet kept his usual vigil in the master bedroom at the side of the couple's sleeping infant son, Troy Joseph. At the stove, Pam could hear Bullet barking urgently before he bounded into the kitchen. As Bullet entered he was still barking and animated, unusual behavior for a grizzled old boy who, according to Pam, "acts more like a rug than a dog these days." Realizing something was wrong, Pam's first instinct was to check with her husband in the bathroom. Bullet then began barking more insistently and ran wildly between the kitchen and bedroom until Pam finally got the message.
Upon entering the bedroom, she found that her only child-the baby the Sicas had tried for 10 years to conceive-was turning blue. His head was thrown back, and gurgling sounds were coming from his throat. She called out for Troy, who began to administer CPR to the baby as Pam dialed 911. A paramedic called to the scene told the couple that Bullet saved Troy Joseph's life.
If they had found Troy Joseph 10 seconds later, the baby might have died. This was verified by a doctor at Brookhaven Hospital, where the baby was revived, treated for double pneumonia and a ventricular septal defect, and released two weeks later.
The family's devotion to Bullet is as boundless as the dog's devotion to Troy Joseph. In the years leading up to Bullet's heroics, the Sicas had seen him through two bouts with cancer and the effects of an enlarged heart, at one point taking out a $5,000 loan to cover veterinary bills. It's as though some higher power has kept Bullet alive long enough to repay that kindness, with a lifetime of interest.
Law Enforcement - Bear (Belgian Malinois)
Owned by the Greenboro Police Department, handled by Brett Davis of Greensboro, NC
Nominated by Sgt. Eldon Presnell of Greensboro, NC
Bear was first assigned to Corporal T.J. Ford of the Greensboro Police Department in 1994. The department soon realized Bear was that special once-in-a-lifetime dog, and he was trained in obedience, agility, evidence searches, building searches, narcotics detection, tracking, handler protection, and criminal apprehension.
According to Bear's ACE nominator Sergeant Eldon L. Presnell, of the GPD, "Bear somehow knew criminals were different from good citizens. Corporal Ford would respond to a crime scene where the suspect had fled the area. Although there were numerous other persons present, Bear would throw back his head, then sniff the ground and take off, many times locating the criminal or evidence along the way."
When Ford won the department's Officer of the Year award in 1995, the corporal gave all the credit to his K-9 partner. Indeed, a running joke among the officers was that Ford was merely Bear's chauffer. "If we could teach Bear how to drive," writes Presnell, "his handler would be out of a job!"
In 1997, Ford sustained an injury that forced him out of K-9 work, and in mid-career Bear had to break in a new partner, Officer Brett Davis. After a brief period of adjustment, Bear was back in action and, remarkably, Davis was named the 2000 Officer of the Year. Presnell notes, "In an agency of more than 500 officers, two had now won the prestigious award with one common denominator between them-Bear!"
During Bear's career he has located thousands of dollars worth of stolen property, and kilos of cocaine and marijuana. But what truly sets the big Malinois apart is his unerring nose in tracking operations and building-searches. Bear has helped locate murderers, armed robbers, rapists, fugitives, and missing persons by the dozen. During the calendar year 2000 he tracked down more than 80 felony suspects, more collars than most police dogs make in a lifetime.
Upon his impending retirement, Bear will spend his golden years as the much-loved pet of the Davis household. Presnell concludes, "I hope he continues to find the bad guy in his dreams while sleeping in the warm sun in the backyard."
Search and Rescue - Topper (Belgian Tervuren)
Owned by Pat Grant, DVM of Marina, CA
Topper, bred by Carmen Helgessen, of Snowflower Kennels, has competed in the breed ring and has earned an Open obedience title. But AKC competition is merely a sideline for Topper, one of America's most experienced and dependable search-and-rescue dogs.
The 11-year-old Terv joined the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) Task Force as a Type-1 disaster dog in 1993. Topper began his US&R career at the site of the Oklahoma City bombing, being the first FEMA dog deployed on the rubble of the Murrah Building. His special skills were also invaluable at a very different sort of disaster site, the massive Yosemite rock fall of 1996. Topper's most recent US&R assignment was Ground Zero at the World Trade Center site in New York. His owner, Pat Grant, says, "As one of the most experienced FEMA dogs responding, Topper again gave generously of his mature confidence and enthusiasm to help bring closure to a terrible tragedy." On site, it's not unusual to see dispirited firefighters and rescuers being comforted by this gentle and majestic co-worker.
Topper is a certified wilderness-search dog and has participated in many local manhunts and missing-persons rescues. Between assignments, the hard-working Terv has logged hundreds of hours in training for what Grant calls "Topper's great game: finding the 'hiding' person."
The American Belgian Tervuren Club has recognized this magnificent representative of the breed by including his picture in the "Personality and Temperament" section of their judges' education Web pages.
Despite his relatively advanced age, Topper is still on the job. "Whether or not he continues as one of the oldest FEMA dogs ever," says Grant, "Topper will remain my best-ever working partner and friend."
Service Dog - Roselle (Labrador Retriever)
Owned by Michael Hingson, of Novato, CA
Nominated by Morry Anne Angell of San Rafael, CA
In the dark days following 9/11, millions of disconsolate Americans were inspired by the story of Michael Hingson and his Guide Dog, Roselle.
On September 11, 2001, Hingson, then district sales manager for Quantum ATL, headquartered on the 78th floor of the World Trade Center's Tower One, was preparing to host a meeting of his field representatives. The trusty Roselle was, as always, resting beneath Hingson's desk, waiting to serve her master.
Shortly before 9:00 a.m., a hijacked jetliner crashed into the tower, 12 floors above Hingson's office. "I heard a loud noise like a bump, then a lot of shaking," Hingson recalls. "The building started swaying, and the air was filled with smoke, fire, paper, and the smell of kerosene." After calling his wife at home and then making sure his co-workers were evacuated, Hingson gathered Roselle and began the perilous descent down 78 flights of stairs.
Amid smoke, debris, and panicked evacuees, the two methodically made their way to the ground floor. "They had never walked down 78 flights together in the best of times, let alone in conditions like these," says Roselle's nominator Morry Anne Angell. "But Roselle remained calm and focused on her job and was able to lead Michael to safety. "
By the time they reached the sidewalk, Tower Two was collapsing. "It sounded like a metal and concrete waterfall," says Hingson, "and we ran for the subway entrance."
When they emerged from underground, Tower One toppled, showering them with ash and debris. Roselle finally led Hingson some 40 blocks to the midtown apartment of a friend, where they stayed until trains were again running to their New Jersey home. By 7:00 p.m., Hingson was safely in the arms of his wife.
Since 9/11, Hingson has become National Public Affairs Representative for Guide Dogs for the Blind, which has provided him with service dogs since he was 15 years old. "Roselle is the fifth in a line of four-legged blessings in my life," he says. "She helped me celebrate the opening of our new office on August 1, 2000. Then she helped me out of it on that fateful day."
Therapy Dog - Cara (Standard Poodle)
Owned by Sherry Brosnahan of Bridgewater, NJ
Nominated by Barbara Irwin of New Vernon, NJ
Cara was a happy-go-lucky pet and obedience dog until she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and had a front leg amputated. As her nominators wrote in their letter to the ACE committee, "Cara's life changed forever, but her positive attitude endured. She survived by all odds and began spreading cheer by example."
A therapy dog for eight years, Cara has an uncanny knack for reaching people previously thought unreachable. Her thick file of success stories includes the case of a veteran in a VA home who, after a visit from Cara, uttered his first words after years of silence; and a deeply unresponsive autistic boy who was moved to gleeful gesturing after some quality time with the 11-year-old Poodle.
Hospital patients respond to this big-hearted cancer survivor with empathetic delight. "Cara is large and awkward," write her nominators, "but by sheer force of will she gets around admirably. At work, there are always obstacles, but nothing deters her from her mission. She has faced the worst and survived. With extraordinary good humor, she lives the life she has been dealt."
Cara has had some of her finest moments at a summer camp for children with cancer. The kids seem more willing to discuss their own experiences and fears when in the presence of their three-legged fellow patient.
Last September, Cara and owner Sherry Brosnahan paid regular visits to the family-assistance center in New Jersey's Liberty State Park to comfort families of 9/11 victims.
The dog-and-owner team has worked at every venue conceivable for therapy dogs-nursing homes, hospitals, day-care centers, schools-and are regular visitors to the Matheny School and Hospital in Far Hills, New Jersey, a residential facility for severely retarded children and young adults.
Cara is the star of a therapy-dog training video, promoting the benefits of animal-assisted therapy and inspiring others to pursue this valuable public service.
Her nominating letter concludes, "With her courage in the face of adversity and her generous spirit, she is an inspiration to all."
